The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AU

  • AFRIMA COMMENDS AU’S SINGLE PASSPORT

    FOR launching a single, common electronic passport (e-Passport) for all Africans at the just concluded 27th AU Summit, in Kigali, Rwanda, the International Committee of The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) has commended the African Union (AU).

    AFRIMA applauded the ultimate goal of the single passport which is set to realise the dream of visa-free travel for African citizens within the African continent by 2020.

    Reacting to the development, AFRIMA’s President and Executive Producer, Mike Dada, said; “The African Union’s plan to allowing free movement of citizens within the African continent is a stepping stone towards building stronger unity among African nations and this is what we at the International Committee of AFRIMA have been canvassing and propagating for years in line with the AFRIMA’s vision.

    “For us in AFRIMA, it is a strong step towards making every African citizen to think and act beyond national identities and identify themselves as citizens of the African continent with a sense of pride that, ‘I am an African.’

    “The single passport will also ease and facilitate one of the AFRIMA objectives which is to engage all the stakeholders who are critical to the awards process to give them a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity-building on the continent. AFRIMA has embarked and organised stakeholders’ engagements and press conferences in over 25 African countries in the five regions of Africa. This we will do until we cover the 54 member states.”

    In partnership with the African Union Commission, AUC, The All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, is a continental music and cultural initiative developed to celebrate, reward and showcase the rich musical heritage of Africa, stimulate conversations among Africans and between Africa and the rest of the globe.

  • AU mulls visa-free e-passport 

    In order to achieve  free movement of goods and service within the continent  by 2020,  the African Union Commission (AUC) is planning to launch electronic passport.

    According to the AUC’s Headquarters, the  African Union (AU) is prepared to launch the electronic passport (e-Passport) at the next AU Summit tabled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, in July this year.

    This flagship project, first agreed upon in 2014, falls  within the framework of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and has the specific aim of facilitating free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent – in order to foster intra-Africa trade, integration and socio-economic development.

    The Chairperson AUC, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,  described this initiative as both symbolic and significant, calling it a “steady step toward the objective of creating a strong, prosperous and integrated Africa, driven by its own citizens and capable of taking its rightful place on the world stage.

    Aspirations 2 and 7 of Agenda 2063, respectively, envision an Africa that is ‘integrated’ and ‘united’, and the introduction of the Common African Passport as an effort towards realising integration and unity on the continent.

    The first group of beneficiaries will include AU Heads of State and Government; Ministers of Foreign Affairs; and the Permanent Representatives of AU member states based at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The AU e-Passports will be issued this at the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. In order for all the recipients to acquire the passports, they are strongly encouraged to comply with the needed paper work required to accelerate the processing lead time.

    The concept of unrestricted movement of persons, goods and services across regions and the continent is not new; it has been outlined in documents such as the Lagos Plan of Action and the Abuja Treaty – an indication that the unhampered movement of citizens is critical for Africa’s development.

    Countries such as Seychelles, Mauritius, Rwanda, and Ghana have taken the lead in ensuring easier intra-Africa travel by relaxing visa restrictions and in some cases lifting visa requirements altogether.

  • UN, AU envoys say Somalia is on right path to stability

    Top UN and AU envoys in Somalia have lauded progress made so far since the country pulled itself out of a prolonged civil war.

    The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia, Francisco Madeira and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia Michael Keating also said separately the upcoming elections would help steer the country into prosperity.

    “I strongly believe that Somalia is on the right path to becoming a peaceful and stable nation, where citizens enjoy freedom and contribute to the nation’s prosperity,” Madeira said in a statement on Saturday as Somalia marked 56 years of independence.

    He said since the establishment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in 2007, a lot has been achieved with the help of Somalis who want to live in a peaceful and prosperous nation.

    “The joint operations conducted by AMISOM and Somali security forces, for example, have liberated large swathes of the country, which were hitherto under the control of terrorist militants Al-Shabaab,” Madeira said.

    He said AMISOM, the government and regional states were working closely to stabilise and restore the rule of law in these liberated areas.

    “To this end, AMISOM has so far trained thousands of police officers, who have since been deployed to various parts of the country to maintain law and order,” Madeira said.

    The envoy said this year’s independent celebration, which was marked on Friday, was special for Somalis as they not only remembered the enormous sacrifice made by their forefathers in the independence struggle against colonialism, but also the progress made so far since the country pulled itself out of a prolonged civil war.

    “I congratulate all Somalis who have continued to work tirelessly to make Somalia great. Those who have sacrificed their lives to ensure that the country is stabilized and that residents enjoy the peace they yearn for,” said Madeira.

    He lauded the Somali leadership for setting clear timeliness for the electoral process during the just concluded National Leadership Forum held in Baidoa.

    The electoral process agreed upon by the leadership will herald a new dawn in politics as the country moves towards universal suffrage and achieving gender parity in leadership.

    In his statement, UN envoy Keating praised the entrepreneurship and perseverance of the Somali people as their country emerges from decades of uncertainty and conflict.

    “The last 56 years have been turbulent for Somalis. Their extraordinary political journey continues. Unfortunately, insecurity remains a major problem. But Somalia continues to make remarkable progress in so many fields, political, security and economic, defying even many Somalis’ expectations,” Keating said.

    The UN envoy praised the work of Somalia’s security forces and AMISOM to counter the menace of violent extremism and underscored the crucial role they continue to play.

    “Strengthening the capability of Somali National Security Forces is essential, not only to partner with AMISOM but also as part of Somalia’s state building objectives,” he said.

    Keating said the last few years have seen the gradual emergence of a federal state, of national as well as regional institutional capacity, and of laws and plans that provided a basis for meeting Somalis’ expectations.

    “Progress is tangible, and confidence is growing. But it is still vulnerable,” said Keating, noting that the overwhelming majority of Somalis have rejected violence as a means of resolving differences, but that Al-Shabaab remains a threat, especially to civilians.

  • Sharing infrastructure can bridge digital divide in Africa, says AU envoy

    The African Union’s Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Mrs Elham Mahmood Ahmed Ibrahim, will tell participants at this year’s eLearning Africa conference that sharing infrastructure must be a top priority for African governments.

    Mrs Ibrahim, who will be a keynote speaker at eLearning Africa in Cairo on May 24, is convinced that, by sharing telecommunications infrastructure, African countries could save billions of dollars and speed up the provision of universal broadband access, which will have a major impact on education outcomes.

    “A review of infrastructure-sharing experiences found that developing countries can save billions and speed broadband access by sharing infrastructure,” Mrs Ibrahim said in a pre-conference interview with eLearning Africa’s news service. “These savings can be obtained both through sharing telecom infrastructure, such as ducts, fibres and masts, as well as sharing with other utility infrastructure, such as roads, power grids, fuel pipelines and rail lines.”

    Better access to education and training through improvements in communications is a crucial element of the African Union’s 2063 Vision for a ‘transformed continent’ and Mrs Ibrahim will stress the importance of improvements in infrastructure for meeting the AU’s targets.

    “Policy makers widely accept that access to information and communication technology (ICT) in education can help individuals to compete in a global economy by creating a skilled workforce and facilitating social mobility.”

    Many African governments have recently become convinced that poor telecommunications infrastructure, rather than a lack of ICT hardware, is the main factor preventing African countries from using new technology to create a “multiplier effect” in their education systems.   The subject is likely to be one of the major themes for discussions, involving African ICT and Education ministers, at eLearning Africa’s Ministerial Round Table, which will take place on the opening day of the conference.

  • AU, Somalia forces recapture town from Al-Shabaab

    The Africa Union peacekeeping forces in Somalia, (AMISOM), supported by Somali troops, on Tuesday, recaptured the southern town of Janale from Al-Shabaab militants.

    Abdi Ibrahim Shamow, police commander for Lower Shabelle region where the town is located, said the joint forces took the town in the morning without resistance from the militants.

    “Al-Shabab militants attempted to make resistance, but failed and ran away from the town. They knew we were stronger than them, no casualties at all,’’ Shamow said.

    The joint forces have recently stepped up security operations in the region, according to the official.

    Al-Shabaab attacked the AMISOM base in Janale in September 2016 and took the town, claiming it killed 70 soldiers.

    The Islamist group has been carrying out frequent deadly attacks across the country, fighting to topple the Somali government.

     

  • Implement AU’s recommendation on health, agric, govts told

    The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged governments to implement the African Union (AU) recommended 15 per cent budgetary allocation to health and agriculture sectors.

    Its Senior Programme Officer, Mr. Okeke Anya, spoke in Keffi, the Nasarawa State capital, during a Northcentral Media Roundtable.

    He said if governments complied with the AU standard in allocation of funds to the two sectors, it would not only boost the health status of the people but also reduce unemployment and food shortages.

    “Our mission is to strengthen the link between civil society and the legislature through advocacy and capacity building for civil society groups and policy makers on legislative processes and governance issues to ensure good governance.

    “The aim of this parley was to engage the media on the need to sensitise governments at all levels and Nigerians at large to comply and implement African Union standard of 15 per cent total budget allocation of funds to health and agriculture sectors in the interest of development,” Anya explained.

    He said it was unfortunate that from 2012 to last year, the allocation of funds to the sectors had nosedived.

    “For example, in 2012 budget, N280 billion was allocated to the health sector, while in 2013, 2014 and 2015 budget only N278 billion, N260 billion and N255 billion, was allocated to the health sector, and this show a decrease in allocation of funds to the health sector every year in Nigeria,” he said.

    The Programme Officer of the Centre, Austin Erameh said: “The forum was intended to stimulate citizens’ interaction and awareness on key performance of government against democratic principles that include economic, social, civil and political policy standard.”

  • AU nominates Nigeria, four others as disease control centres

    AU nominates Nigeria, four others as disease control centres

    The African Union (AU) has nominated five countries from the sub-regions of the continent to serve as Africa Centres for Disease Control (ACDC).

    Olawale Maiyegun, Director of Social Affairs, African Union Commission, who made the disclosure to newsmen in Abuja on yesterday, explained that the centres would be the Regional Collaborating Centres (RCC) for AU on disease control.

    The countries are Nigeria, Gabon, Egypt, Zambia and Kenya.

    Maiyegun said that the nomination, spread across West, East, North, South and Central Africa, would see the countries have a coordinating office inside the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

    He said that the idea was approved in 2015 with a mandate to each of the five sub-regions to nominate one country each as a collaborating centre.

    “We are supposed to embark on a visit to see if the institutions being put up by these countries meet the criteria contained in article 26 of the ACDC statutes.

    “We are in Nigeria and our aim is to determine if the National Centres for Disease Control (NCDC), which serves as centre for disease control in West Africa, meets the criteria that are contained in the statutes.

    “We are not comparing the countries with each other rather we are evaluating and assessing them to ensure they meet every criteria,” Maiyegun said.

    He said that AU would achieve the mandate through government commitment, human resources, infrastructure and funding.

    The AU representative lauded the efforts of the Nigerian government toward the realisation of the idea going by the commitment demonstrated by the minister of health.

    “We were received by the minister of health for state who demonstrated clear knowledge on the subject matter. We also got calls from the minister of health; we were not disappointed by the deep knowledge that he showed. It shows that they understood deeply the issues of public health and the reason for our coming,” he added.

    Maiyegun said that NCDC could take on the responsibilities that had been entrusted to it going by what had been put on ground.

    He expressed the hope that the federal government would provide its counterpart funds for the project.

    He commended the Federal Government’s strategy used to combat polio and expressed the hope that it would be sustained.

    According to Maiyegun, the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) that is dedicated to the fight against polio in Nigeria, is strong and well established and the government will need to continue to sustain the project.

     

     

    He, however, said that AU partners were prepared to support Nigeria and efforts would be made to correct the gaps identified.

    Maiyegun urged the minister to ensure the country lived up to expectation in managing its triple responsibilities of being the NCDC, Regional CDC and a collaborating centre for ACDC. (NAN)

  • AU abandons Burundi peacekeeper plan

    The African Union has abandoned its plan to send 5,000 peacekeepers to help restore stability to troubled Burundi.

    Officials said they would instead encourage political dialogue between Burundi’s opposing sides, the BBC reports.

    Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza had fiercely opposed the AU plan’s to send peacekeepers.

    His decision last April to seek a third term in office has led to ongoing violence and fears that Burundi is sliding into ethnic conflict.

    At least 439 people have died and 240,000 have fled abroad since last April, the United Nations said.

    The AU could have deployed troops without Burundi’s consent – a clause in its charter allows it to intervene in a member state because of grave circumstances, which include war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity – but it would have been the first time it had done so.

    Top AU diplomat, Ibrahima Fall, said such a move would have been “unimaginable.”

    AU Peace and Security Council chief, Smail Chergui said, after the bloc’s meeting in Ethiopia: “We want dialogue with the government, and the summit decided to dispatch a high-level delegation.”

    Earlier this week, human rights group Amnesty International published satellite images it said were believed to be five mass graves near Burundi’s capital, where security forces were accused of killing scores of people in December.

  • AU seeks 5,000 peacekeepers for Burundi

    The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has proposed sending 5,000 peacekeepers to Burundi, invoking for the first time a rule which allows it to deploy a force without a country’s consent, a diplomat said.

    Burundi, which United Nations officials said is on the brink of civil war, has said there was no need for a peacekeeping mission, Reuters reported.

    Asked about the latest proposal, one minister said he understood it was still a draft and so would not comment at this stage.

    The AU decision, drawn up late on Thursday, needs approval from the UN Security Council, which has been considering options to resolve the crisis including sending peacekeepers.

    “We have authorised the deployment of a 5,000-man force for Burundi whose mandate includes the protection of civilians,” a diplomat from a member country of the council told Reuters.

    UN officials and Western envoys have expressed alarm at the escalating violence in Burundi, which only emerged from an ethnically charged civil war in 2005 after 12 years of fighting.

     

  • 3,000 African youths in terror groups – AU official

    3,000 African youths in terror groups – AU official

    Smail Chergui, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, said African countries were concerned about the possible return of between 3,000 and 6,000 youths who joined the Islamic State (IS).

    The commissioner said on Wednesday in Algiers that the youth fighters, returning home to join terrorist groups in the Middle East were real threat to Africa.

    He urged African nations to draw up a “de-radicalisation system” to encourage people to adopt more moderate views in terms of religion.

    Chergui said this had become very urgent because no country in the region was safe from terrorist acts.

    He also said that establishment of Africa’s police cooperation mechanism (Afripol) had become essential.

    According to him, Afripol will boost cooperation and coordination of efforts among African police bodies to efficiently deal with the spread of transnational terrorism and organized crime.

    Chergui pleaded for identifying the real causes of radicalism and putting a strategy that deterred youngsters from taking to violence.

    He said that military action was not enough to fight against terrorism, stressing that governments should launch economic projects that generated jobs for youths and met their socio-economic needs.